QuoteReplyTopic: The Battle of Kadesh, 1275 Posted: 11-Dec-2004 at 22:28

NOTE: Since I have nothing better to do... and I write these for
fun, and for military history magazines around the world, I might as
well share the knowledge... these are in no way the same articles I
sell to magazines - these are simplified copies...written a lot
worse....

These are taken from word documents, so the style might be off.

----------------

Rank upon rank of Egyptian infantry
marched northwards, with leader to their head, to meet their enemy on the
fields of battle.The great campaign
could no longer be delayed, and the consequent battle which ensued near a small
town in modern day Lebanon
proved to be quite a display of arms, military deception, and it would be a
magnificent trial of strength.Ramessŕs
II, Pharaoh of Egypt, was set on repeating the successes of his father, and
creating a new name for himself, and his major target would be that very town,
Kadesh, while his enemy, Muwatallis, King of the Hittites, would live up to his
treaties of mutual defense which were agreed to by the petty princes of the
area and the royal crown.

Years before, Ramessŕs father,
Sethos I, had also led a major force up the coast of Palestine
and into modern day Lebanon
and Syria.Beginning at his fortress of Tjel, located
near modern day El-Kantara, Sethos I marched through the Sinai Peninsula.Soon afterwards, as he entered Palestine,
he inflicted a great defeat on an army of rebels, referred to as the Shosu, and
then he continued into southern Lebanon.Although evidence is scant Sethos I did take
Kadesh, and hieroglyphic documents point towards a battle between the Hittites
and Sethos I, in which Sethos I comes out victorious.Following this victory Sethos I left a
garrison at the city of Beisan, or the Beth-shean of the old testament, and
from there continued his manifold exploits in the region, which have been
preserved through two stelae located at Beisan, ôůon this day they came to tell
His Majesty that the vile enemy who was in the town of Hamath had gathered unto
himself many people and had captured the town of BethshaelůHis Majesty sent the
first army of Amun Ĺpowerful of bowsĺ to the town of Hamath.öAgain, the stelae affirm a victory in the
name of Egypt.In an unexplained event, however, Kadesh
seemed to have fallen back into Hittite hands, and became a strong southern
strong hold of the Hittite army, and this posed as a strategical menace to Egyptĺs
Near Eastern territories, and would thus be Ramessŕs objective of his great
campaign north for obvious reasons.Sethos Iĺs campaign had not been the first.Sometime before 1457 Pharaoh Tuthmosis III
had defeated a powerful Hittite army at the Battle of Megiddo, near a powerful
fortified town looking down upon the Plain of Esdraelon.It was this Ramessŕs II wanted to imitate,
and it was this that spurred his ambition to make a name for himself.

So, with vigor and ambition
Ramessŕs II marched northwards, with a very improved army.The Egyptian army was composed four
divisions, that of Amun, Pre, Beisan, and Ptah.The three former divisions had formerly been involved in battle in the
area under Sethos I, as shown by the stele at Beisan.These divisions evidently held a strong
number of archers, as well as various infantry types, most probably armed with
copper, or imported bronze, swords, and stone maces.It is known that the Egyptians were a
complete disadvantage logistically, as Egypt
held no tin reserves, making it extremely difficult for the Egyptians to
produce their own armaments for their military, and several documents found at
Egyptian temples list armament trade between Syria
and Egypt.This latter fact could have possibly been
another reason for the heavy Egyptian troop concentrations south of Syria,
and for the repeated attacks on the area.In any case, the Egyptians also made use of a mobile cavalry force,
relying heavily on chariots, introduced by the Hyksos, and improved upon by New
Kingdom Pharaohs.Interestingly,
Ramessŕs also improvised a force of cavalry, which seems to be the first
attempt at it until the Persian Empire in the 6th
Century B.C.E.The New
Kingdomarmies also relied profoundly on foreign manpower.The ĹPoemĺ, conserved by an Egyptian scribe
named Pentaur (although he is not the author), recites the existence of a corps
in the army marching north composed of soldiers from a people called the
Sherden.The Sherden had been an earlier
scourge on the New Kingdom during their naval invasion,
and are better known as the Sea Peoples.However, after their defeat the survivors seem to have been incorporated
by Ramessŕs II, as five hundred and twenty of their kind were present with Ramessŕs
at the time of the Battle of Kadesh.However, tactics shown by the Egyptian army of the New Kingdom showed
little improvement, as battles were frequently settled with archer duels, and
quick charged by the Egyptian battle line, although, Kadesh would not be a
failure of Egyptian discipline, to say the least.

Across the border, the Hittites
were proving no less able in their military tact and administrative skill.The king of the Hittites, Muwatallis, was
left with a very gifted military machine, and it too had its share of successes
in Syria and
abroad. During the early 1200s Egypt
and Hittites had pursued generally very peaceful relations, especially with
their mutual fear of the growth of the Assyrians in and around the year 1250
B.C.E.However, with the break of any
chances of lasting peace by Sethos I, and the campaign against the Hittites
renewed once again under the command of Ramessŕs II around the year 1274,
Muwatallis was forced to forge a grand army and march south to meet the Egyptian
threat.Of these, the most interesting
addition to his army include a contingent given by the Dardanians, familiar
from Homerĺs Iliad.From further Egyptian sources it appears that
the Hittites controlled much of Anatolia on the Aegean
coastline, as the Hittites also received aid from the Lycians.The Ĺpoemĺ, gives reference to a multitude of
allies of the Hittites which joined the fray against Ramessŕs II, however, any
numbers were most likely small, and played merely a minor role in the upcoming
battle.The largest player in the
upcoming battle of Kadesh would be its extremely well trained chariot force,
which was second to none.The Hittite
chariot was manned by a crew of three, wherein the Egyptian chariot had a crew
of two ľ driver and fighter.This
variation in the Hittite chariot seems to have been implemented to allow two
fighters, one for defense, and another for attacking operations, allowing each
one to worry about its job, and allowing superior performance on the
battlefield.The attackers were given
either a lance or a bow, and the superiority of crew members gave the Hittites
an advantage in the number of men during a melee.

Hittite military strategy,
consequently, revolved around the supremacy of her chariot forces, and the
kings always depending on drawing enemy armies into the open, where Hittite war
chariots could charge and fight to full effect.To this end deception was very important before battles to conceal the
presence or news of the Hittite army, and it would play its cast at Kadesh.

Ramessŕs reached Kadesh sometime in
the summer of 1275, and in an early morning he ordered his army to begin
crossing the river Orontes.Kadesh lay just above the Orontes,
as it was located in the center of the angle formed by the Orontes
and a small tributary of said river.Behind Kadesh lay the plains of Lebanon,
and thus Kadesh was the strategic gateway to this territory.During the morning operations to cross the
river Ramessŕs received two Bedouin fighters who claimed their interest in
deserting the Hittite army.According to
the steles which survive and depict the subsequent battle, Ramessŕs accepted
them and immediately extracted information from his two newest soldiers.The two Bedouins told the Pharaoh that
Muwatallis was still in the land of Khaleb,
north of Kadesh, and Ramessŕs took the information eagerly.Why Ramessŕs relied on information from two
ex-soldiers of the Hittite army is unknown, however, the fact that his forward
scouts had failed to detect the presence of a Hittite army may have persuaded
the king to accept the news as fact.In
all haste Ramessŕs II rushed north to Kadesh, protected by only his bodyguard,
in an effort to take the city in a surprise assault.As soon as he had opened a gap five miles
wide between his army and himself he realized his mistake.He had opened camp and soon enough another
two Hittite scouts had landed on his lap, and these told a very different story
than that uttered by the Bedouins.The
Hittite position had been betrayed.However, Ramessŕs II had little time to contemplate his strategic
mistakes, and the failure of his reconnaissance, as the Hittite army was
already upon his army.

The Pre division was quickly
shredded as a strong group of Hittite chariots forded the Orontes
south of Kadesh and arched into the Pre Divisionĺs rear, forcing the division
to give way before the Hittites.What
happens next is unclear, as all Egyptian sources begin to relate the courage of
Ramessŕs II, and his personal feat of arms against the hordes of Hittite chariots.Almost certainly the Egyptian army was torn
apart by the opening Hittite charge, and they fared little better in the
melee.Throughout the battle much of the
Hittite army seemed to be pre-occupied in ransacking the Egyptian camp, and
consequently set the stage for their eventual encirclement.In all respects, though, the fighting seemed
particularly savage, and hundreds of death must have ensued.Several infantry contingents manned by the
Hittites took part of the melee, which provided much of the stamina in order to
allow the chariots to successfully sack the Egyptian camp, however, the tables
were soon to turn.The Egyptians that
had not crossed the river Orontes just yet appeared just in the nick of time
and hit the Hittites in the rear as they focused on the camp.From recent reconstructions it seems that
Muwatallis was surrounded and was forced to break out of the encirclement and
retreat to Kadesh.It was an achievement
that the Egyptian infantry had at all managed to hold the Hittites until
further relief had arrived, and this is a testament to their discipline, but it
remains amazing how little reconnaissance Ramessŕs II had completed prior to
the battle and how brashly he reacted to two very strange Bedouins.

After the battle Ramessŕs paraded
the battle as a victory, one of the reasons so many steles depicting the battle
have been found.Consequently, since no
Hittite records have been found as of yet, most histories notify the battle of
Kadesh as an Egyptian history.However,
from what happened after, this was simply not so.The ĹPoemĺ, the main written source on
Kadesh, had notoriety on embellishing the battle, and after recent
reconstructions of the battle it becomes fairly obvious that Muwatallis was
unable to bring about his full force.In
order to successfully sweep the Egyptians from the rear Muwatallisĺ chariots
had to ford the river Orontes, which would require some
sort of bridge large enough to support two of these vehicles abreast.Meaning, that to complete such a maneuver so
rapidly as to catch the enemy by surprise only a few of the chariots could have
been successfully transferred to the opposite side of the river, thereby,
failing to provide the Hittites with a complete advantage.

In any case, after the battle
sources seem to contradict the success of the Egyptians.One third of the Egyptian army was
slaughtered, and Hittite casualties were most likely around the same since they
too had been surprised and hit from the rear.Ramessŕs II would go on to blame his troops for the failed victory, and
continued to express the skirmish as a personal battle in which he defeated the
Hittites alone.Additionally, after the
battle Syria
remained strongly in Hittite hands, and even some lands to the south fell to
Muwatallis, who replaced the present kings in those regions with kings of his
own choice.However, neither was it a
complete Egyptian rout, as Ramessŕs, evidently, campaigned actively in Palestine
around the year 1278.Therefore, the
most likely outcome of the battle was a tactical draw and a victory for the Hittites
in the strategical sense.It is true
that after the battle the New Kingdom fell into a long period of decline,
ending only with Persian intervention, and subsequent take over of Lower Egypt
(that to the north of the modern day country).

Circa 1291 B.C.E. Ramessŕs II and
the new Hittite king, Khattusilis agreed to a treaty, copies of which were
found both in the Egyptian capital of Thebes and in the Hittite capital at
Boghazkoy.The general agreement was one
of mutual peace on the shared borders and a military alliance.The alliance was sealed with Ramessŕs
marrying a Hittite queen.

Many historians have dismissed the
battle as a mere skirmish meant to wear down armies before the larger battle
expected to have occurred days after.However, that battle never came, and it is increasingly obvious
why.It is likely that Ramessŕs II had
been shaken by the overwhelming power of the Hittite military and with one
third of his army now lying in the sands of Syria he most likely decided that
it would not be in his best interest to fight the enemy so far away from Egypt,
and so close to Anatolia.He may have
been skeptical at any signs of success and the moral in the Egyptian army could
have been non existent.In any case, it
wouldnĺt be soon before the HittiteKingdom
would leave the annals of history, and Egypt
was thrown into an extensive period of civil war and numerous foreign
invasions.In reality, there had been no
victor at all.

Breasted, J.H., Ancient Records of Egypt
Cavillier, Giacomo, Some Tactical Remarks on the Battle of Kadesh
Ellis, Edward S., The Story of the Greatest Nations:Early Nations and Greece
Gardiner, Alan, The Egyptians
Gurney, O. R., The Hittites
Lichtheim, M., Ancient Egyptian LiteratureSayce, Archibald H,. History of Nations: Ancient Empires of the East

Eh, I have a primary source on a word document, but I never jotted down the site:

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Poem of Pentaur

Beginning of the victory of King Usermare-Setepnere Ramses II,
who is given life, forever, which he achieved in the land of Kheta and Naharin,
in the land of Arvad [2], in
Pedes [3],
in the Derden [4], in the
land of Mesa, in the land of Kelekesh [5],
Carchemish, Kode [6], the land
of Kadesh, in the land of Ekereth [7], and
Mesheneth [8].

Behold, his majesty prepared his infantry and his chariotry,
the Sherden of the captivity of his majesty from the victories of his word -
they gave the plan of battle. His majesty proceeded northward, his infantry and
his chariotry being with him. He began the goodly way to march.
Year 5, the second month of the third season tenth month, on the
ninth day, his majesty passed the fortress of Tharu, like Montu when he goes
forth. Every country trembled before him, fear was in their hearts; all the
rebels came bowing down for fear of the fame of his majesty, when his army came
upon the narrow road, being like one who is upon the highway.

Now, after many days after this, behold, his majesty was in
Usermare-Meriamon, the city of cedar. His majesty proceeded northward, and he
then arrived at the highland of Kadesh. Then his majesty marched before, like
his father, Montu lord of Thebes,
and crossed over the channel of the Orontes, there being
with him the first division of Amon named: "Victory-of-King-Usermare-Setepnere."

When his majesty reached the city, behold, the wretched,
vanquished [9]
chief of Kheta had come, having gathered together all countries from the ends
of the sea to the land of Kheta, which came entire: the Naharin likewise, and
Arvad, Mesa, Keshkesh, Kelekesh, Luka, Kezweden, Carchemish, Ekereth, Kode, the
entire land of Nuges, Mesheneth, and Kadesh. He left not a country which was
not brought together with their chiefs who were with him, every man bringing
his chariotry, an exceeding great multitude, without its like. They covered the
mountains and the valleys; they were like grasshoppers with their multitudes.
He left not silver nor gold in his land but he plundered it of all its
possessions and gave to every country, in order to bring them with him to
battle.

Behold,
the wretched, vanquished chief of Kheta, together with numerous allied
countries, were stationed in battle array, concealed on the northwest of the city
of Kadesh, while his majesty was
alone by himself, with his bodyguard, and the division of Amon was marching
behind him. The division of Re crossed over the river-bed on the south side of
the town of Shabtuna, at the distance of an iter [10] from the
division of Amon; the division of Ptah was on the south of the city of Aranami;
and the division of Sutekh was marching upon the road. His majesty had formed
the first rank of all the leaders of his army, while they were on the shore in
the land of the Amor.

Behold, the wretched vanquished chief of Kheta was stationed
in the midst of the infantry which was with him, and he came not out to fight,
for fear of his majesty. Then he made to go the people of the chariotry, an
exceedingly numerous multitude like the sand, being three people to each
span [11].
Now, they had made their combinations thus: among every three youths was one
man of the vanquished of Kheta, equipped with all the weapons of battle. Lo,
they had stationed them in battle array, concealed northwest of the city of Kadesh.

They came forth from the southern side of Kadesh, and they cut
through the division of Re in its middle, while they were marching without
knowing and without being drawn up for battle. The infantry and chariotry of
his majesty retreated before them. Now, his majesty had halted on the north of
the city of Kadesh, on the western
side of the Orontes. Then came one to tell it to his
majesty

His majesty shone like his father Montu, when he took the
adornments of war; as he seized his coat of mail, he was like Baal in his hour.
The great span which bore his majesty called: "Victory-in-Tebes,"
from the great stables of Ramses II, was in the midst of the leaders. His
majesty halted in the rout; then he charged into the foe, the vanquished of
Kheta, being alone by himself and none other with him. When his majesty went to
look behind him, he found 2,500 chariotry surrounding him, in his way out,
being all the youth of the wretched Kheta, together with its numerous allied
countries: from Arvad, from Mesa [12], from
Pedes [3],
from Keshkesh, from Erwenet, from Kezweden [13], from
Aleppo, Eketeri [14], Kadesh,
and Luka, being three men to a span, acting in unison.

Then the king of Khita-land,
With his warriors made a stand,
But he durst not risk his hand
In battle with our Pharaoh;
So his chariots drew away,
Unnumbered as the sand,
And they stood, three men of war
On each car;
And gathered all in force
Was the flower of his army,
for the fight in full array,
But advance, he did not dare,
Foot or horse.
So in ambush there they lay,
Northwest of Kadesh town;
And while these were in their lair,
Others went forth south of Kadesh,
on our midst, their charge was thrown
With such weight, our men went down,
For they took us unaware,
And the legion of Pra-Hormakhu [15] gave way.
But at the western side
Of Arunatha's [16] tide,
Near the city's northern wall,
our Pharaoh had his place.
And they came unto the king,
And they told him our disgrace;
Then Rameses uprose,
like his father, Montu in might,
All his weapons took in hand,
And his armor did he don,
Just like Baal, fit for fight;
And the noble pair of horses that carried Pharaoh on,
Lo! "Victory of Thebes"
was their name,
And from out the royal stables of great Miamun [17] they
came.
Then the king he lashed each horse,
And they quickened up their course,
And he dashed into the middle of the hostile, Hittite host,
All alone, none other with him, for he counted not the cost.
Then he looked behind, and found
That the foe were all around,
Two thousand and five hundred of their chariots of war;
And the flower of the Hittites, and their helpers, in a ring---
Men of Masu [12],
Keshkesh [18],
Pidasa [3],
Malunna, Arathu,
Qazauadana, Kadesh, Akerith [14], Leka and
Khilibu---

Cut off the way behind,
Retreat he could not find;
There were three men on each car,
And they gathered all together, and closed upon the king.
"Yea, and not one of my princes, of my chief men and my great,
Was with me, not a captain, not a knight;
For my warriors and chariots had left me to my fate,
Not one was there to take his part in fight."
Then spake Pharaoh, and he cried:
"Father Ammon, where are you?
Shall a sire forget his son?
Is there anything without your knowledge I have done?
From the judgments of your mouth when have I gone?
Have I e'er transgressed your word?
Disobeyed, or broke a vow?
Is it right, who rules in Egypt, Egypt's lord,
Should e'er before the foreign peoples bow,
Or own their rod?
Whate'er may be the mind of this Hittite herdsman horde,
Sure Ammon at should stand higher
than the wretch who knows no God?
Father Ammon, is it nought
That to you I dedicated noble monuments, and filled
Your temples with the prisoners of war?
That for you a thousand years shall stand the shrines
I dared to build?
The king, probably, is here identifying himself with Ammon.
That to you my palace-substance I have brought,
That tribute unto you from afar
A whole land comes to pay,
That to you ten thousand oxen for sacrifice I fell,
And burn upon your altars the sweetest woods that smell;
That all your heart required, my hand did ne'er gainsay?
I have built for you tall gates and wondrous works beside the Nile,
I have raised you mast on mast,
For eternity to last,
From Elephantine's isle
The obelisks for you I have conveyed,
It is I who brought alone
The everlasting stone,
It is I who sent for you,
The ships upon the sea,
To pour into your coffers the wealth of foreign trade;
Is it told that such a thing
By any other king,
At any other time, was done at all?
Let the wretch be put to shame
Who refuses your commands,
But honor to his name
Who to Ammon lifts his hands.
To the full of my endeavor,
With a willing heart forever,
I have acted unto you,
And to you, great God, I call;
For behold! now, Ammon, I,
In the midst of many peoples, all unknown,
Unnumbered as the sand,
Here I stand,
All alone;
There is no one at my side,
My warriors and chariots afeared,
Have deserted me, none heard
My voice, when to the cravens I, their king, for succor, cried.
But I find that Ammon's grace
Is better far to me
Than a million fighting men and ten thousand chariots be.
Yea, better than ten thousand, be they brother, be they son,
When with hearts that beat like one,
Together for to help me they are gathered in one place.
The might of men is nothing, it is Ammon who is lord,
What has happened here to me is according to your word,
And I will not now trangress your command;
But alone, as here I stand,
To you my cry I send,
Unto earth's extremest end,
Saying, 'Help me, father Ammon, against the Hittite horde."'
Then my voice it found an echo in Hermonthis' [19]
temple-hall,
Ammon heard it, and he came unto my call;
And for joy I gave a shout,
From behind, his voice cried out,
"I have hastened to you, Ramses Miamun,
Behold! I stand with you,
Behold! 'tis I am he,
Own father thine, the great god Ra, the sun.
Lo! mine hand with thine shall fight,
And mine arm is strong above
The hundreds of ten thousands, who against you do unite,
Of victory am I lord, and the brave heart do I love,
I have found in you a spirit that is right,
And my soul it does rejoice in your valor and your might."
Then all this came to pass, I was changed in my heart
Like Monthu, god of war, was I made,
With my left hand hurled the dart,
With my right I swung the blade,
Fierce as Baal in his time, before their sight.
Two thousand and five hundred pairs of horses were around,
And I flew into the middle of their ring,
By my horse-hoofs they were dashed all in pieces to the ground,
None raised his hand in fight,
For the courage in their breasts had sunken quite;
And their limbs were loosed for fear,
And they could not hurl the dart,
And they had not any heart
To use the spear;
And I cast them to the water,
Just as crocodiles fall in from the bank,
So they sank.
And they tumbled on their faces, one by one.
At my pleasure I made slaughter,
So that none
E'er had time to look behind, or backward fled;
Where he fell, did each one lay
On that day,
From the dust none ever lifted up his head.
Then the wretched king of Khita, he stood still,
With his warriors and his chariots all about him in a ring,
Just to gaze upon the valor of our king
In the fray.
And the king was all alone,
Of his men and chariots none
To help him; but the Hittite of his gazing soon had fill,
For he turned his face in flight, and sped away.
Then his princes forth he sent,
To battle with our lord,
Well equipped with bow and sword
And all goodly armament,
Chiefs of Leka, Masa, Kings of Malunna, Arathu,
Qar-qa-mash, of the Dardani, of Keshkesh, Khilibu.
And the brothers of the king were all gathered in on place,
Two thousand and five hundred pairs of horse---
And they came right on in force,
The fury of their faces to the flaming of my face.
Then, like Monthu in his might,
I rushed on them apace,
And I let them taste my hand
In a twinkling moment's space.
Then cried one unto his mate,
"This is no man, this is he,
This is Sutek, god of hate,
With Baal in his blood;
Let us hasten, let us flee,
Let us save our souls from death,
Let us take to heel and try our lungs and breath."
And before the king's attack,
Lands fell, and limbs were slack,
They could neither aim the bow, nor thrust the spear,
But just looked at him who came
Charging on them, like a flame,
And the King was as a griffin in the rear.
Behold thus speaks the Pharaoh, let all know,
I struck them down, and there escaped me none
Then I lifted up my voice, and I spake,
Ho! my warriors, charioteers,
Away with craven fears,
Halt, stand, and courage take,
Behold I am alone,
Yet Ammon is my helper, and his hand is with me now."
When my Menna, charioteer, beheld in his dismay,
How the horses swarmed around us, lo! his courage fled away,
And terror and affright
Took possession of him quite;
And straightway he cried out to me, and said,
"Gracious lord and bravest king, savior-guard
Of Egypt in the battle, be our ward;
Behold we stand alone, in the hostile Hittite ring,
Save for us the breath of life,
Give deliverance from the strife,
Oh! protect us, Ramses Miamun!
Oh! save us, mighty King!"
Then the King spake to his squire,
"Halt! take courage, charioteer,
As a sparrow-hawk swoops down upon his prey,
So I swoop upon the foe, and I will slay,
I will hew them into pieces, I will dash them into dust;
Have no fear,
Cast such evil thought away,
These godless men are wretches that in Ammon put no trust."
Then the king, he hurried forward, on the Hittite host he flew,
"For the sixth time that I charged them," says the king---and listen
well,
"Like Baal in his strength, on their rearward, lo! I fell,
And I killed them, none escaped me, and I slew, and slew, and slew."

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